Reunited
by NukeRose
Summary: In which the gang accompanies Eyan back to his home town to play at his cousin's high school award ceremony. In which the past is faced, and Eyan gets a rather unexpected visitor. A visitor that was supposedly long dead... {PLEASE REVIEW! I BEG FOR REVIEWS! EVEN IF THEY ARE ANONYMOUS!}


**{Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or anything written by Metallica. The only lyrics I own in this are those to "Empire of Dust". Don't worry, no violence in this one, but rated M for strong language and mentions of violence.}**

**Takes place two months after the events of "Dark Secrets of the Past". It is a few days after the gangs last day of Senior Year, and they all accompany Eyan back to Davison for his little cousin's graduation, and end of the year awards ceremony. Along the journey, Eyan gets a little surprise.**

**Eyan's POV**

The rest of our gang's Senior year past in a flurry of good memories. New Directions went on to win Nationals, flattening Vocal Adrenaline into the stage with superior skill, and moderate amounts of sabotage. The football team, with Dave at its head, won the championship, with Dave receiving MVP. Santana, Cody, Dave, Az and I became legends for organizing the most daring senior prank ever pulled. We spray painted all of Coach Sylvester's equipment pink. I think she knows it was us, she just likes us too much to say anything. Scary huh? We walked out of the doors of McKinley that last day, looking towards a bright future. If we could get through the next few weeks. In the two weeks after our graduation ceremony, Dave, Az, Santana, and Cody were accompanying me on a trip. A trip that would test the limits of my sanity and resolve.

I was returning to Davison.

My cousin James was graduating as well. It was just two weeks after ours because of Michigan's ridiculous number of days they had to make up for snow days. I was asked to come to the ceremony and to perform at the awards show he was in charge of planning, that would take place a week before the ceremony. I accepted, with the conditions I could bring the rest of the gang with me. We had left Lima at 3:00 pm, about an hour after receiving our diplomas. Cody and Santana clamored into my Beetle, while Dave and Az drove Dave's GTO, which contained all of our combined luggage and our instruments (except for drums), and hit the road.

About forty minutes later we crossed the border into Michigan, with Az briefly mentioning to Dave that this was his first time leaving Ohio. For the next two and a half hours we only stopped once for food and gas in Ann Arbor. When we got to Flint, we got off the highway and drove to where my first house was located. Everybody but me was surprised at what a dump it was. All the windows were boarded up, and part of the roof had fallen in. It was obvious that nobody had lived there since my family and I had left. We sped away when gun fire sounded in the distance.

After we stopped at Burger King, it took about fifteen minutes to get to where we would be staying. We would all be staying at my old house in Davison, which my family kept so we would have a place to stay when we came to town to visit family. We pulled into the driveway, and I was pleased to see that it was much the same as it had been when I had last seen it. I got out and limped towards the keypad that opened the garage door. I entered the passcode, and the garage door opened. I got back in the Beetle and pulled it in, before getting back out and joining everybody at the GTO to retrieve our luggage. We all walked back to the door. I approached the door and inserted the key into the lock. I turned the key and opened the door.

We all shuffled into the house and sat our luggage at the end of a long black leather couch that sat along the back wall. We all plopped down on the couch and ate our food.

"So, what's the plan for the next few days." Azimio asked.

"We've got to go meet the rest of the family the day after tomorrow. Bit nervous about that, since I haven't seen most of them in half a decade. Tomorrow, I'll take you guys Downtown and show you where _it _happened." I said, wincing slightly at the mention of 'The Incident'.

"Are you sure? You don't have to if you don't want to." Az told me.

"Of course I don't want to. I NEED to. I need to face my memories. Besides you guys will be with me."

"Anyway, who all do we have to meet tomorrow?" Dave asked.

"Everybody. My grandma and grandpa. My Aunt Patricia, My Uncles: Mitch, Arnie, Kevin, and Gordon. My cousins: Kelsey, Jesse, Charlie, and the one who's graduating, James."

"That's not that many." Santana said.

"That's only half of it. Half the family doesn't speak to us anymore." I muttered bitterly.

"Why not?" Dave asked.

"Me." I responded, the look on my face ending the discussion, "We should all get to bed. Dave and I get the master bedroom. Santana gets my old room to herself, Az get's the room with the waterbed, Cody get's the couch because he likes leather couches."

I stomped off to the master bedroom, dragging Dave behind me.

**The Next Day**

We all got up at about ten the next morning, and the mood was somber for most, but terrifying for me. I was about to return to the scene of the most traumatic experience of my life. Even in the short time after the assault that I still lived in Davison, I never set foot in Downtown again. I couldn't even go to the library without having a breakdown. I put on my leather long coat over my black suit. I decided to go with my black shirt and bowtie instead of my white shirt. Santana was dressed in her tight blue jeans with a red t-shirt. Dave, Cody and Azimio were all dressed in all black as well. We figured that if we were going to visit the site we would be dressed in black. We all piled into Herbie, and I drove slowly towards downtown. When we pulled onto Main Street, a train was going by. It took ten minutes for the stupid thing to go by.

After five years, I saw Downtown, and my heart was pounding in my chest.

It hadn't changed a bit. The really bad Mexican restaurant on the corner, the pet grooming place a few doors down. Very few parking spots open. Busiest small town I'd ever seen. Same shit, different life time. I preceded down Main Street and parked in front of the donut shop.

"Come on guys. My treat." I said as I got out of the car.

We all walked in the front door, and it was the same as I remembered it all those years ago, with the cozy warm atmosphere and the delicious smell of fresh baked goods. We waited in line, and when I got to the counter, the lady behind the counter didn't even look up.

"What'll you have?" She asked.

"Foreman Special, Christina." I said. Her head whipped up to meet mine and her eyes widened.

"Eyan Foreman? Is that you?" She asked in disbelief, "Oh my goodness, you have grown so tall! Last time I saw you, you were shorter than me! I knew you couldn't stay away from my donuts forever. What are y'all doing back up here anyway? I'd hear you'd moved down south."

"It's good to see you ma'am. Yeah, I had to come back for my cousin's graduation."

"Which one?" She asked.

"Oh, James. The only one my age." I responded, "Yeah besides, it's been five years. I figure If I can't face the past now, I never'll be able to. I'm guessing you hear what happened?"

"Honey, the whole town heard what happened to you and Justin. I knew your family shielded you from happened, but it was on the news, and it was in all the newspapers. They put a small plaque in the yard where it happened, dedicated to you to. You became a kind of celebrity around here. _'The boy who killed his attackers to try to save his friend'_. I've actually heard people discussing it as recent as a few days ago. James was in here a few days ago, saying that you were coming back to perform something at the awards show at the high school, and according to my niece, everybody at the school is talking about it. A few of them might be planning something, specifically Jensen."

I winced at that final name.

Jensen.

Jensen Cutler.

"That slimy _cunt _isn't in fucking jail?" I snarled. She shook her head sadly.

"He pleaded the gay panic defense and got off." She muttered bitterly.

"Who is Jensen Cutler?" Dave asked cautiously.

"Jensen Cutler was one of the attackers that night. He's the only one of the attackers who survived that night. At least tell me he can't walk properly."

"He can't. He's got one nasty limp." She said with a hint of satisfaction in her voice.

"Good. If he tries anything. I'll reintroduce him to my blade. The tip of this blade is made from the blade of the knife I used that night. I won't hesitate." I growled.

"I wouldn't hesitate either." she agreed. A voice cleared behind me, and I looked behind to see quite a long line. We hurried up and paid for our donuts and bid Christina a fond farewell. I took my hat and glasses off as we walked out the door and I could tell everybody recognized me immediately. I could see it in their eyes.

We walked along, munching on our donuts. We turned the corner into the neighborhood, and I stopped. I could see where it happened. The house was no longer there. I could see the plaque. It was affixed to the side of a small obelisk. I hurried forward to view it. I stopped in front of it and read the inscription.

"This memorial is dedicated to Eyan Michael Foreman and Justin Irving Donovan, who on this spot, on the 14th of April, 2007, became the victims of a hate crime that ripped apart two families and destroyed the innocence of two children. This obelisk, paid for by the City of Davison, was left to serve as a reminder of the hate that led to violence. May it serve to teach tolerance and acceptance to a new generation." I read. I was thankful that they had gotten his name right. I turned away and walked to the curb and stopped by a small tree.

"This is where I lay. This is where they took me down." I said shakily. Even now, flashes of my memory of that night flashed before my eyes.

I shook my head, clearing my mind of the thoughts. I looked up and walked back towards the obelisk.

"This is where we lay when the cops got here." I said, dropping to my knees and touching the grass. I clamped my eyes shut to fight off the images, the memories.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned my head to see Dave staring at me with teary eyes.

"You okay?" I ask him.

"Y-yeah. This just makes it seem more real, ya know?" He stuttered, tears leaking down his face, "I mean, you almost died here."

I nodded, before standing back up and wrapping him in my arms.

"Let's go back to the house."

And so we did.

**The Next Day**

We arrived at my Grandma's house in Burton at noon the next day, feeling well rested. We pulled into the driveway and drove onto the front lawn and drove around the left side of the house and started the drive out to the large tent at the back of the three acre property. We pulled up to the line of cars slowly and stopped next to a large, black 90's Chevy pickup truck. We all got out of the Beetle and slowly approached the tent. Everybody's eyes were on us.

"EYAN MICHAEL FOREMAN!" A southern accented voice screamed.

A short, wrinkled, white haired woman whose hair was tied in a tight bun, and was wearing a long floral dress, stalked forward brandishing a pair of grilling tongs. My Grandmother, Granny to me, Ms. Madeline to everybody else, marched toward me and grabbed my arm and pulled me towards a table with five open seats. I motioned for everybody to follow along after us.

"Get yer skinny butt over there and sit down. You see, this is what happens when I don't see you for five years, I'm not around to make sure you're still eating enough. Just look atchya, yous practically skin and bones boy! Believe me I will FATTEN you back up by the time you go back down South..." She ranted. I cut her off by pulling her into a hug.

"Nice to see you again too, Granny." I said to her as she returned the embrace.

"Still a pushover for your grandmother, eh Ey?" Cody joked.

"Cody Brown is that you, lurking around over there?" She hollered to him.

"Hey Ms. Madeline." He said, as he walked forward to give her a hug.

"It's good to know you still know how to address me. Have you all been starving yourselves? You're all too skinny! Except for the two gentlemen and the lady you have yet to introduce." Ms. Madeline said.

"Oh right, Dave, Az, Satan, come here!" Eyan shouted. The other three walked forward to, slightly nervous under her critical gaze. "These are the rest of the 'Marauders'. Dave Karofsky, Azimio Adams, and Santana Lopez."

Ms. Madeline eyed them, looking them up and down, before pointing to Az.

"I can't believe you are still using that silly name for your organization. Is this the one you talked about slapping sense into on the phone a couple of years ago." She asked slyly. I nodded and she shook his hand before turning to Santana, "I believe you described this young lady as 'Latina hell in high heels'?"

"Yes Granny." I said. She looked back to Santana with an evil smirk.

"You and I must swap stories later." Ms. Madeline said with a smirk that shocked all of them but Eyan.

"Don't let her fool you. She may look like a cute little old lady but she has a mischief streak bigger than mine. She could give you tips Santana." I joked. Ms. Madeline moved on to Dave.

"So..." She started.

"Ummm. Yes?" Dave stuttered nervously.

"You're the boy that has ensnared my grandson's heart?" Ms. Madeline asked with an eyebrow raised.

"I, uh, think it would be more accurate to say He ensnared Mine." Dave said.

"You and I will get along just fine." Ms. Madeline said with a smile.

After introductions had been made, everybody set in on us with questions. They wanted to know everything. What was Ohio like? What was Lima like? How had I met the rest of the gang? How did get together with Dave? It was only after everybody had been introduced that I noticed somebody was missing.

"Hey, where's James? It's his party, shouldn't he be here already?" I asked everybody.

"He'll be here in a half an hour. He said he was bringing somebody with him." Ms. Madeline answered.

"What, he finally get a girlfriend?" I joked.

"Nope. He didn't say who it was he was bringing." she said.

Sure enough, thirty minutes late, my cousin comes pulling into the yard with his ridiculous van. It was an old Chevy AstroVan that was painted solid blue. He pulled up behind the Beetle and shut it off. He got out and walked around the van to open the slide door on the side. He reached into the van to help his passenger climb out. As soon as the passenger was in full view I froze.

"No. That... that's not possible. It-it can't be." I choked slowly.

"What Eyan? What is it?" Dave asked, looking worried.

The figure approached, slowly, with a very slight limp and an eye patch over one eye.

I couldn't believe it. I could not process what I was seeing. It should not have been possible. I COULD not be possible.

But I recognized that face anywhere.

The wavy blonde hair.

The blue eye.

That goofy grin.

"Justin?"

I looked upon the face of my supposedly long dead friend, and I fainted.

**Three Hours Later**

I jolted back to consciousness to find myself staring at the white ceiling of my grandpa's old room, now the guest bedroom. The light in the room was dimmed, and I looked to the window to discover that the blinds had been drawn.

"You always did have a flair for the dramatics."

My head whipped to the side. He was sitting there, staring at me, his eyebrow raise.

"Justin?"

He smiled at me, and I lunged at him, grabbing him in a tight hug. I cried into his shoulder, unable to believe that I was actually touching somebody I thought long dead. It took me twenty whole minutes to regain my composure.

"Yeah, it's me buddy. In the flesh. What did you expect? A corpse?"

"Yes, actually! I thought you died in the hospital! Your guardians wouldn't tell me anything." I told him frantically.

"I was in a coma. They didn't think I was going to come out of it, but I did a couple of months later. They couldn't save my eye. My cheekbone was broken and had punctured it. By the time I woke up you were already gone. I didn't know where you were, I couldn't find you on Facebook. I couldn't get a hold of you. They wouldn't tell you anything because they couldn't. They signed away guardianship when they found out I was in the hospital. They didn't want to have to deal with my 'unnaturalness' anymore." He explained. I growled, but rolled my eyes. Even back then, I never got along with his guardians. I grabbed him in a hug.

"I missed you so much JD. Where are you staying then?" I asked him.

"I missed you too Ey. And to answer your question, Mr. Williams took me in." Justin replied. I smiled lightly. Mr. Williams had been our History teacher in middle school, and he had always been our favorite teacher.

I thought for a second.

"You're 18 now. You're birthday was a month ago." I started to say.

"You remember my birthday?" Justin asked surprised.

"Of course I do. I never could forget." I said, "I'm just thinking. Once you graduate, if you're willing, you could come with me."

Justin stared at me for a second.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Come with me back to Lima." I said to him, and he gave me a skeptical look, "Oh come on, you know as well as I do that my parents would have adopted you if they could've afforded it back then. Now they can. You should see the place the bought us in Columbus for when we're going to school there. It's this huge house with eight rooms, and every room has its own bathroom and walk in closet. If you came back with us, you'd be set!"

Justin looked uncertain.

"I'll think about it. Okay?" He said. I nodded. We sat in companionable silence for a few minutes before I broke it.

"I visited where it happened yesterday. Took the rest of my friends with me. Saw the plaque. Everybody still recognizes me." I told him.

"Of course they do. They still recognize me too. You should have seen Jensen's face when he found out you were coming back. He looked furious."

"If he tries anything..."

"He won't. He was tried as an adult, but he pleaded the fucking gay panic defense and they sentenced him to seven years of probation, if he pleaded guilty. He still has two years left. He's not dumb enough to fuck up his chances now." Justin revealed.

"Christina at the bakery made it sound like he got off scot free."

"That's only because the official results of the trial were never made public."

"Of course not. Jensen's damned father probably paid to keep the result out of the papers." I spat in disgust.

"When he heard you were coming back he and his buddies started plotting something. He's probably gonna try and ambush us when we get there." Justin said, irritated.

"He better bring an army, the last time he tried it, two of his buddies got killed." I joked, before shooting him an apologetic look after he flinched violently.

"Not that kind of ambush. He'll be on us as soon as we get there, and you'll end up having to eviscerate him with the charmingly nasty tongue you're lovely boyfriend says you've developed."

"Oh so you've met the others then?" I asked him pleasantly.

"Yep. Dave's a nice guy, I approve. He's the one who carried you up here. I already gave him the 'you hurt him I kill you' speech. Az has a good sense of humor, good taste in music. It was good to see Code again. Santana is deliciously evil, great fun to talk to." Justin appraised. I smiled and shook my head in fondness.

"You haven't changed a bit. Except for the looks of course. Your hairs a bit longer."

"And one of my eyes is missing." He joked dryly, "What's the plan for the award show anyway?"

"We're going on after all the awards are given out. We've got carte blanch on songs to sing, as long as it isn't death metal." I said, "Probably a few Metallica covers, maybe one or two original songs. We were gonna play that one you and I wrote, _Empire of Dust_."

"Well, you've got a week to prepare." Justin said. "Who's playing what?"

"I'm playing Bass, Az is taking drums, Dave is on guitar."

"I can still play guitar, so I could play rhythm guitar." Justin said, "And we can practice _Empire of Dust_ here so we don't screw it up. I worked on it a lot after you left. Wrote the rhythm guitar parts."

"I worked on it a lot too." I said, "We can meld what we've got together and then it'll be finished."

"Sounds like a plan."

**One Week Later**

The doors to Davison High School flew open with a bang, and the people already inside turned to look at us with startled expressions on our faces. The whispers started immediately. I could hear my name being uttered in gossip. I scowled and pushed through the small crowd, with the others on my tail.

We entered the auditorium, where the last few awards were being awarded. The auditorium was just a little bit bigger than the one back at McKinley. Quite a few people turned to stare at us, and more muttering resulted. We stalked forward towards the stage. The curtains were drawn, giving us a bit of privacy while we warmed up, and so we could finalize what we were doing.

We hadn't been backstage for five minutes when _he _arrived.

Cutler. In all his smug, evil glory. I glared at him as he approached. I looked to see that Justin was off to the side talking to the Principal. It was better he didn't get involved.

"Cutler." I spat.

"Foreman." He sneered, "It's a shame, I thought I drove you out of this town for good."

"You should have known I wouldn't stay away forever, you dumb cunt." I snarled.

"Such language." he mocked. "Come now, aren't you beyond such petty name calling yet?"

"After what you did, you're lucky I haven't killed you yet, you repugnant sack of putrid rotting fecal material. By the way, how's the leg? It's still hurts, I bet?" I sneered with vindictive pleasure. He glared, "But then again it would, I only shoved a four and a half inch blade through it."

"What's going on here?" Justin said as he walked up to us, a very angry glare set on his face. I looked out of the corner of my eye to see Dave pushing an amp right behind Cutler.

"Ah, and fag #2 arrives. So touching to see the infamous duo together again." He sneered sarcastically. "Here to defend your boyfriend I see?"

A loud, piercing, electric squeal pierced the air. Cutler gripped his ears, before whirling around to glare at Dave, who had just made his Gibson Explorer squeal.

SQUEAL.

"Do you mind?"

_SQUEAL._

"I'm trying-"

**SQUEAL.**

"To HAVE-"

_**SQUEAL.**_

"A CONVERSATION HERE!"

_**SQUEEEEEEEEEAAAAL.**_

Dave stared back at him evilly.

"I don't care. Leave if you value your life." He growled.

Cutler looked him up and down, sizing him up. He realized that going up against Dave, who was twice his size, would be foolish. He turned around and stalked away. But not before Dave got one final shot in.

"Oh and by the way douchebag. I'M Eyan's boyfriend. Not Justin." He said smugly. Cutler scowled harder, and practically ran off the stage. Az and Santana stood to the side laughing, while Dave, Justin and I stood there looking smug. We all reveled in our victory until it was time to go on. When it was time, the principal introduced us.

"Five years ago, one of our own was driven away by hatred and violence, while another was left broken and with his life in ruins. But tonight, he has returned. Ladies and gentleman, leading the band playing tonight, reunited for the first time since that night, Eyan Foreman and Justin Donavan!"

The curtains parted and the cheers were deafening. I stalked forward to the microphone, and the applause got louder.

"GOOD EVENING DAVISON!" I screamed.

SCREAMS.

"Hope you're all ready for some LOUD MUSIC TONIGHT! BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN GIVEN CARTE BLANCHE TO PLAY WHATEVER WE WANT!"

SCREAMS.

"This first song is by a band called Metallica." I paused for a moment. "This is called 'FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS'!"

I strummed my bass once and began the bass line that started the song. Thirty seconds later the rest of them joined in. I banged my head wildly, and backed away from the microphone. I backed away until I found myself back to back with Justin. When it got to the point where I was supposed to sing I stepped back up to the microphone.

_**"Make his fight, on the hills in the early day  
>Constant chill deep inside.<br>Shouting gun, on they run through the endless grey  
>On they fight for their right, yes, but who's to say<strong>_

_**For a hill, men would kill, why? They do not know  
>STIFFENED WOUNDS TEST THEIR PRIDE!<br>Men of five, STILL ALIVE through the raging glow,  
>Gone insane from the pain that they surely know!<strong>_

_**For whom the bell tolls!  
>TIME MARCHES ON!<br>For whom the bell tolls!"**_

I stepped back for the solo. towards the end of the solo I turned to see Dave and Justin, standing side by side, banging their heads in perfect unison. I smiled and laughed loudly, before I started singing again.

_**"Take a look to the sky just before you die!  
>IT'S THE LAST TIME YOU WILL!<br>Blackened roar, massive roar, fills the crumbling sky.  
>Shattered goal fills the soul with a ruthless cry.<strong>_

_**Stranger now are his eyes to this mystery,  
>HE HEARS THE SILENCE SO LOUD!<br>Crack of dawn, ALL IS GONE except the will to be,  
>Now they see what will be blinded eyes to see!<strong>_

_**For whom the bell tolls!  
>TIME MARCHES ON!<br>For whom the bell tolls!"**_

As the song came to an end, the crowd went crazy again, and I looked back to my friends.

"This next one is called, 'Holier Than Thou'!" I hollered.

_**"No more!  
><strong>__**The crap rolls out your mouth again  
>Haven't changed, your brain is still gelatin<br>Little whispers circle around your head  
>Why don't you worry about yourself instead<strong>_

_**Who are you? Where ya been? Where ya from?  
>Gossip burning on the tip of your tongue<br>You lie so much, you believe yourself  
>Judge not lest ye be judged yourself<strong>_

_**Holier than thou  
>You are<br>Holier than thou  
>You are<br>**_

_**You know not**_

_**Before you judge me take a look at you  
>Didn't you find something better to do?<br>Point the finger, slow to understand  
>Arrogance and ignorance, go hand in hand<strong>_

_**It's not who you are, it's who you know  
>Others lives are the basis of your own<br>Burn your bridges and build them back with wealth  
>Judge not lest ye be judged yourself<strong>_

_**Holier than thou  
>You are<br>Holier than thou  
>You are<br>**_

_**You know not**_

_**Ya, who the hell are you?  
><strong>_

_**Ya, ha you  
>Holier than thou<br>You are  
>Holier than thou<br>You are  
>You know not, not!"<strong>_

More screaming.

"Okay now, this next one is our last, and it's one we wrote ourselves." I said into the microphone, "Justin and I started writing this the week before the attack. We had the lyrics finished, and a basic riff. Over the last few months, my band and I dusted it off and wrote the rest of the music. This is the first time we've played it, and this is just a rough garage version so it won't be perfect. This is called _Empire of Dust._"

The song started out with a slow, heavy, fat and gloomy riff, that continued through the first part of the song.

_**"Empire of dust and grime,  
>Built on the backs of corrupted souls.<br>Kingdom of rust and slime,  
>Millennia of neglect take its toll.<strong>_

_**Society lost to the sands of time,  
>And now little is left behind.<br>Destroyed and decayed by waves of crime  
>Earth becomes failure defined."<strong>_

The song sped up, and Justin came forward to share the mike, and we sang the chorus together.

_**"DISENTEGRATED!  
>DESICRATED!<br>DESTROYED WITHOUT A CARE!**_

_**INCINERATED!  
>VIOLATED!<br>DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR!**_

_**AN AFFAIR WITH POWER,  
>WHICH TURNED SOUR!<br>ALL THAT'S LEFT  
>IS AN EMPIRE OF DUST!"<strong>_

Dave wailed on his guitar, making it squeal and scream and angry, menacing solo. After about thirty seconds, the music slowed back down to the same menacing riff it started with, and I started to sing again.

_**"Ashes of a race, burnt and smoldering  
>While the fires of hell are churning.<br>All that remains, keeps on burning  
>As the world just keeps on turning.<strong>_

_**Memories long since been erased  
>Vanished without a trace<br>Memories left behind have been disgraced  
>Like a tomb that's been defaced!"<strong>_

Again the music picked up and Justin stepped forward.

_**"DISENTEGRATED!  
>DESICRATED!<br>DESTROYED WITHOUT A CARE!**_

_**INCINERATED!  
>VIOLATED!<br>DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR!**_

_**AN AFFAIR WITH POWER,  
>WHICH TURNED SOUR!<br>ALL THAT'S LEFT  
>IS AN EMPIRE OF DUST!<br>EMPIRE OF DUST!"**_

This time, it was Justin's turn to wail on his guitar. He made it scream with menace, and squeal with anguish as the song rapidly drew to a close.

Once his solo was over, the song ended. We all stood there panting as the crowd cheered for us.

"THANK YOU EVERYBODY! GOOD NIGHT!" I screamed into the microphone. We all lined up at the front of the stage, me in the middle, Dave and Justin on either side with Az on the left end. We linked our arms behind each others' shoulders and bowed. Justin leaned over and whispered in my ear.

"I'm going with you back down south."

I hadn't been this happy in years.


End file.
